Friend , Come , Let us go and get water , This world is in a deep slumber at this moment , Love . I wait for your response now . Come , My love , My flower ! My Consort !

This lyric is possibly the finest expression of longing in kashmiri . I
rate it as the best for its simplicity and the original vigour of the
native language . Both the diction and idiom are just sweet and fresh.
Profound is the complaint of separation conveying an intense longing .

Some more poets came very close to this lyrical style of Habba
Khatoon. About 50 years after her death, Akamal Ud Din Beg (1646-1723
AD ) wrote his popular song…Baaeli Haai Rumaai Rumaai ( My Beloved ! Every tissue is filled with your longing only ).This song bears very close similitude to Habba Khatoon’s popular Lyric … Chhu Me Baaeli Tamanna .

About 200 years after Habba Khatoon , ArinMaal ( a kashmiri Pandit
Poetess ) used this Lyrical style in her poems . Her popular poems sung
till today are Arni Rang Goam Shraavan Yiyey Kar Yiye Darshun Diyey
( The pallor of fading flower has fallen on the midsummer Jasmine
bloom in me . O when shall these eyes see him again ) , Me kar
Tuss kitch Poshan Maala Ta Aaluv Diya tosii ( I have made flower
garlands for him , Just Hail him , friends . ) and Tee Kuss nisha hykaa
haavith ba ( That longing , How can I show it to any person )

PS Handh and Vopul Haak are grown in upper hills of kashmir especially
in areas of Gurez , Gulmarg and Shopian etc. Leaves of Handh and
Vopul Haak were cooked and eaten by kashmiris for rich nutritive and
medicinal properties . Both are Diuretic and rich in antioxidants .
Handh and vopul Haak find mention in a vaakh ( Four line poem ) of kashmir's saint poetess Lal Ded as well. Hee
Posh ( Hiyey ) is the kashmiri name of Jasmine flower.

This is a second collection of Hindi Poems
by Nida Nawaz ( Born 1963 ) .His first book “Akshar Akshar Rakt Bharaa “ was
well received . The present book was released today at K L Sehgal Memorial Hall
at Academy of Art Culture And Languages , Jammu in a simple but well attended
function.

Nida needs no introduction . As writer ,
his conceptual frame work is clear and free from any ambiguity . As poet , Nida
is sensitive and deeply conscious of the rich heritage and history of his
native land . His language is direct meant primarily for integration, joining
disunited hearts and spreading goodwill.

His Urdu poems have also been published in
a Book titled “ Kiran Kiran Roshini “. Apart from this he has also translated
some kashmiri poems into Hindi for “Ujalaa Raaj-Maarg “ published by Sahitya
Academy. He is recipient of many honours and awards for his Hindi Writing.

Optimism is his eloquent Slogan .

The book is Dedicated to his grand Ancestor
Acharya Udh Bhat and his own son Neeraj Nawaz Bhat .Nida is a postgraduate in
Hindi ,Urdu and Psychology .He writes in Hindi ,Urdu and his own mother tongue
kashmiri.

The poems in the Book present moving tales
of pain , suffering , hopes and dreams . The poet has also touched some other
subjects like the despair of Middle Existence, Women empowerment and the
criminal act of killing a girl child .However the book essentially deals with
issues of Militancy , suffering and pain of the people across religious divide
. It has 63 poems spread in 112 pages , hard bound and is moderately priced at
Rs235/=

The author informed ,

“ The Armed Militancy tore apart the age
old , time tested and the strong bond of Peaceful co existence in our kashmir.
The TANDAVA of wanton Death and Destruction brought forth an atmosphere of
hatred and intolerance thereby halving the soul of kashmiriat . Religion and
Politics were used to fuel the fire that smoldered and engulfed a Tradition and
culture that had evolved over thousands of years .Even saner voices turned mute
under fear and fright. A section of the population was left with no choice but
to move out to save their lives . This group had to face innumerable hardships
to survive in an alien environment .

A large section of peace loving common
populace that stayed back, felt sandwiched between two armaments . One
representing the Militants and the other being the cruel apparatus unleashed by
some exploitative players representing the State .”

I quote some poems from this book….

(1)

Lines from his poem (Mein Paloonga Eik sapna)

or ( I shall Nurture a Dream )...

“Jin Logon ke pass nahin Hotaa koyee ishwar
,

Woh Nahin Banaatay talwaarein , Kirpaan aur
Trishul.

Na hi unn ke paas hotaa hai dar ,

Na hi doosaron ko Daraanay ki koyee
Baat…….”

( Those who do not possess a God ,

Never do they make Swords, Kirpaans or
Tridents,

Neither are they afraid of anything ,

Nor do they utter a word to frighten others
)

(2)

(FATVAA )

Eik Aur Fatvaa Jaari kiyaa hai

Hamaare Shahar ke Bade Moulavi ne

Log Gharon ke Phool Daanon mein ,

Phool Nahin Balki Pather Rakh Lein ,

Aur jis gali se

Satya Chaltaa Dikhaai dhe

Sangsaar Kiyaa Jaaye …

( The Grand Molvi of our city has

passed one more Fatvaa now .

“Instead of flowers ,

People should keep stones in flower pots ,

And should they see Truth in any street ,

He be stoned all over …”

(3)

From Poem “Tumhaara kashyap “or Your Rishi
Kashyapa ..This poem is dedicated to Noted Kashmiri Poet late Arjun Dev Majboor . Late Majboor had also to leave kashmir valleyin 1990 due to widespread Militancy and live as an exile far away from his motherland .Calling
him Baba , Nida writes..

Baba , Ab Ki Baar

Hamaari Ghaati Mein Risaa Hai Utnaa paani

Ki jis ko Nahin Nikaal saktaa akelay

Tumhaara yeh Kashyap .

Lekin , Baba Palat hi Jaayeingay Itihaas ke
pannay

Deir ya saveir

Aur Poori Ho Hi Jaayegi Pathreeli Pahaadon
ke beech

Nirvasan ka Taap Jhelnay waalon ke

Dil Ki Jholion mein

Sanbhaali huyee

Ghar Lautanay ki

Utkutt ichhaa ..Baba

( Father , This time , we had too much of
rainfall in the valley

And your kashyapa is not in a position to
clear it alone ..

But Father ,

The pages of history shall have to change ,

Sooner or Later ,

hopes shall materialize into reality for
Those,

who bear the heat of existence living on
hills of boulders ,

And Nurturing passionate dreams of return
to their homes, Father .)

(4)

(Tum Zaroor Gaana Meri Laadli ) or

You must sing My darling Daughter

Tum Darnaa nahin meri laadli ,

Tum Zaroor Muskaraana Meri Laadli ,

Aur Muskaraatay Muskaraatauy Gaana Koyee
Geet ,

Pyaar ka ,

Maanavtaa ka ,

Brahmaand ka ..

You Must not get frightened My Darling
Daughter ,

You must keep smiling my little Child ,

And smilingly , you must sing some song ,

A song of Love ,

A song for Humanity

And the song of this great Universe .)

( This poem is dedicated to the Girls who
started PRAGAASH , the first Music band in kashmir valley )

(5)

(Woh Miltii hai )

I see her

( Wijood e Zun se Hai Tasveer e Qaaynaat
Mein Rang )

“Woh Miltii hai ,

Ultra sonographic screen par ,

Maa Ke garb mein Dubkii,Anjaane dar se
Sehmi,

Eik Doctor ko Hatyaare ke roop mein dekhtii
Huyee “

( The existence of the woman lends colour
to the picture of this universe )

I see her ,

I see her on the screen of the Ultra sound
machine ,

Huddled with fear ,

Inside her mother’s womb,

Staring at the doctor , who , to her ,

Looks like a Killer .

( This poem is dedicated to a Girl child
aborted criminally in her mother’s womb )

While speaking at the book release function
, Sh Ramesh Mehta former Secretary Academy of Art Culture and languages ( The
chief Guest of the function ) said ..

“ Now that Nida Nawaz has taken up the
torch in his hands , He needs to ensure that the flame of the Truth and Light
is kept burning . Let it burn till entire darkness is dispelled . His poems are
crisp and based on concurrently relevant issues . I am impressed by his style
of presenting human pain and suffering .These poems inspire compassion and firm
belief in Human values . His poems flow like the Grand Vitasta river of Kashmir
that is witness to rise and fall of so many empires and changes . I salute his
unflinching faith in HUMANITY . "

Thursday, February 19, 2015

To this photograph , i am
adding a brief write up on Dr Shanker Raina ..

Dr Shanker Raina ( 1939-1979 )

He
was a trained doctor( cardiologist ) who also wrote short stories and Radio
Plays . He rose like a shining star on the literary Horizon of Kashmir . A star
that glittered for some time and then suddenly slipped into the dark ocean of
oblivion . Like French writer Albert Camus and Noted Urdu poet Parveen shakir ,
this man also died young . And incidentally, he also died of Car accident. Died
young to create some unforgettable characters and stories in kashmiri
literature .

Alas!
we kashmiris brushed him aside from our memory shelves . Our younger generation
hardly knows even his name ;I am sure on this issue at least .

May
be due to his Profession ,he was able to know human pain and suffering so
intimately.He also came very close to the hopes and wishes of the individual
sufferers. And accordingly, he carried a deep consciousness of Death that is
apparent in some of his stories .For this reason, some critics are tempted to
brand his work as Hospital Stories . On the contrary , even when Immersed in
Pain and suffering , some characters whom he created ,are sharp ,lively and
warm Individuals inspite of their physical inabilities and helplessness . There
is Romance , hope and goodwill in most of his stories. These stories present a
mirror image of life as it exists . The clash of old and modern values that
always exists in any developing society is also evident in some of his short
stories.

A careful
study also reveals streaks of existentialism in his work . One can easily
identify the profound loneliness and Native anxieties of Raj Nath ( From
Lwoktchi Lwoktchi Kathhaa ) with those of Meursault In Camus’s Outsider .

He
faced criticism also . Some critics said that some of his stories present
Morbidity. Those amongst us , who have read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s Novel
“Cancer ward “ must not have escaped the overall Morose texture of this Great
work. I still remember the gloom that the Novel gave me with its characters who
are cancer patients , attending doctors and nurses . Gloom does not lower the
status of this Great work . Even in Gloom we get a clear glimpse of hope in
Solzhenitsyn’s Novel when Ahmadjan (an Uzbek ) recovers from the deadly disease.

Shanker
Raina published his short stories in a Book titled ZIETNI ZOOL ( FIRE FLIES ).
Vaen Kahinz Vaaer ( Whose turn is now ) , Haaput ( Bear ), Lwokitchi Lwoktchi
Kathha ( Minor issues ) ,Akh Pazul Ta Kenh Insaan ( A riddle and some People ) and
Hotchhmetch Yaaer ( Dry Deodar Tree ) are some popular and powerful stories
from this collection . HARUD ( Autumn ) was a popular play that he scripted for
Radio Kashmir Srinagar . Quite often, his language is flowery , poetic and
emotional . I believe that Dr Shankar Raina would have been a very good poet
had he Stepped into that form of creative activity.

Dr
Abdul Wahid from SKIMS Srinagar
informs me ,

“I
have seen Dr. Shanker Raina in ward 3 of SMHS hospital Srinagar..those days
Dr.Ali jan Dr. Verma,and other stalwarts like Dr.Khuroo were managing the
ward..Dr. Raina had made his presence felt,and the his presence looked
great..we had just finished our degrees..he was close to all of us..He came
like a wind and left like a storm. we were plunged into grief.”

Sh B L Kaul informs me ,

“
He lived at Kral khud and I remember him having a lean physique and wearing a
Bulganin cut (goatee). As a doctor he drove an Ambassador car. I was impressed
by his radio drama Harud -a father- in -law who has just retired buys a Saree
of hay colour as a gift for his daughter -in-law. She is not happy with the
colour because it indicates autumn- the stage of life through which the old man
is passing. How true?”

Sh RK Zushi comments on my FaceBook Page,

“ Among
others, Dr. Shankar Raina taught my best friend ever Dr. Moti Lal Bazaz, Drs.
Rajinder Kachroo, Durga Nath Bhat and others. Quite a character. I did not know
that he wrote stories and fiction. We used to see him come and go as we were
strategically positioned, playing Chess in the Medicine shop, Hashias, bang
opposite National Hospital run by Dr. Peshin.”

Adds Sh Bansi Raina from Pune ,

“I
was also privileged to have known both Dr.Shankar Raina and Amin
Shakir.Dr.dreamed every thing big.His house at Rajbagh had huge dimensions. His very sign board at Regal
Chowk was big considering doctors did not usually have such big sign boards. He
wanted every thing in a hurry. I also acted in couple of his Radio plays. Yes...he
would have grown and made it big in Kashmiri play writing.Tall man with
Bulganin cut beard.”

Senior Journalist Mohammad Syeed Malik adds

“Dr Shanker Raina's literary talent was marked
by his intimate depiction of characters. He was a popular writer as much as he
was recognized for his comment to medical profession. I knew him personally for
a long time. His tragic death in a car accident in London cut short the story
of life marked by struggle and hard work.”

In his story Lwokitchi Lwoktchi Kathha ( Minor Issues ), a reader comes across
many issues that appear to be trivial and ordinary . Quite often we overlook
them for their relevance and appearance to life. But we are finally led to
believe that these very trivial matters form the very fabric of existence .

Raj
Nath of Kharyaar Habba kadal is a wonderful character that he created for this
story . The description of a clear day after night long heavy rains followed by
evening time reddening of the horizon and thereafter a pleasant cool night
gleaming with stars has been described with a poetic fervor in this story. A
tired Rajnath wants to have a complete Saturday night’s sleep in this cool and
peaceful ambiance but is kept awake by loud noise and singing in his
neighborhood. A Marriage festivity accompanied by singing on Tumbaknaari Beats
is in full swing over there .Accordingly he sleeps very late and gets up almost
at noon. What to do with himself on a Sunday ? Raj Nath looks out from his
Window and is happy to notice clouds over the mountains on an otherwise Sunny
Day .He decides to visit Nishat Garden . For Raj Nath many trivial issues crop
up as he leaves his house to go to Nishat Garden . These trivial issues , he
confronts at the Bus stand , Inside the Bus , In the Garden and on his return
in the shikara to Boulevard Ghat .A reader is engrossed from the very first
Paragraph of this story.

His
Untimely death in a road accident ( in England) , deprived kashmiri literature
of this New trend and direction .A Great human being and a compassionate doctor
was also lost in this tragic accident .He was a writer of Great promise .

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Autar Mota reading “ The spirit of Upnishads “ in English Translation. A Book of lofty thoughts or the Himalayas of Ancient Wisdom of India. The search of the man in universe around him and His relation with it . The rooted Identity and the affirmation of I am divine . “ Aham Brahmasmi “ Or I am the self Divine . “Soham “ or He am I expressed through the very life force , Breath: the “So” of Inhaling and the “Ham” of Exhaling. The story of ATMAN or the soul or the self . Call it by any name . The philosophy of Truth ( Satya ) and Bliss ( Ananda ). The beginning of Journey and the end of it.

Prayers for peace on earth , water and sky . Peace in plants and animal kingdom. Prayers to lead all from darkness to light , From unreal to real, From Sorrow to bliss from hate to love , from disintegration to integration from separation to unity and from discord to concord. Prayers for common intents and utterances of human beings.

Pray we follow one leader . Pray we prosper together . Pray we live together . Pray we rise together ..

(This sloka from Katha upnishad is close to what saint poetess Lal Ded says in her vaakh...kuuss murrie taai kuss maaran ?....Who shall die and who shall be put to death ?????)

May God protect us,

grant us wisdom's fruit;

May we gain energy to know the Truth;

May our intellects grow clear and bright;

May we cherish no ill feelings toward anyone.

Om, peace, peace, peace be unto all.

( Taittiriya Upnishad )

As rivers, flowing down,

become indistinguishable on reaching the sea

by giving up their names and forms,

so also the illumined soul,

having become free from name and form,

reaches the self-effulgent Supreme Self -

( Mundaka Upanishad )

( Autar Mota )

PS

BRAHMAN is a vast term with varied meanings. Apart from True self , It also means the transcendent and immanent ultimate reality of the One Supreme Cosmic Spirit.

" It is also the universal substrate from which material things originate and to which they return after their dissolution. In Advaita Vedanta, Brahman is without attributes and strictly impersonal. According to Advaita Vedanta, consciousness is not a property of Brahman but its very nature. Upanishads teach that Brahman is the ultimate essence of material phenomena (including the original identity of the human self) that cannot be seen or heard, but whose nature can be known through the development of self-knowledge. "

" Brahman is the indescribable, inexhaustible, incorporeal, omniscient, omnipresent, original, first, eternal, both transcendent and immanent, absolute infinite existence, and the ultimate principle who is without a beginning, without an end , who is hidden in all and who is the cause, source, material and effect of all creation known, unknown and yet to happen in the entire universe."

To this photograph, I am adding my Kashmiri snow poem “ Pataa Draav Taafaa “or “Then came the warm sun “…This is my 4rth poem in the series along with English rendering done for friends who do not understand kashmiri language. These poems are essentially based on my childhood memories of Snow in Kashmir.

The snow had created a strange silence and stillness all over . And then one day some washer man washed the sky to its original deep blue colour . And then came the sun . Its warmth spread all over . Snow slipped down from the galvanized tin roofs . Water water everywhere. Night long Bangs of falling snow . That shook the house also .

And finally life was restored in all spheres . The vegetable seller turned up . Tongas ( Horse drawn carriages used for public transpaort ) started plying . A father visited his married daughter . Bound by tradition , he stayed at her door step and brought some gift for his daughter and her child Saa’ba.

Cooking , Getting up early , serving , providing , washing , offering , listening to satires of her mother in law and sister in law . What a dreary existence ?Was her marriage meant for all this only ? The young married daughter puts up this question to her own self . The sun has certainly started clearing the snow around .When shall the snow frozen within melt ?She keeps thinking ........

Saa’ba is a popular and fond name given to a male child in kashmir.The words Tip Tip , Joff Joff and Droff droff are sounds meant to express falling water drops , wading through knee deep water and falling snow masses from slippery roof tops after sun shine .

Life for women turned miserable in winter season as not many present day facilities did exist. A father’s visit to her daughter was a great satisfaction . In Kashmiri Pandit families , Bound by tradition , Fathers would generally inform about their arrival through a neighbor and come to door step of their married daughter’s home . They would not enter their daughter’s house leave alone drinking a glass of water or eating something over there .

( 4)

Even the poorest father brought some token gift for his daughter and grand Child . It could be new clothes , a pair of shoes , Dried fish or even some kashmiri bakery stuff etc. The neighbors living close to his married daughter’s house , who could be also a Muslim family , would willingly offer him a kangri and make him sit inside their house . The girl would then come to the neighbor’s house to meet her father or mother . A Younger brother was not bound by this tradition . He would straightway step inside the house of his married sister